Final Fantasy X - Resolution
by LordJX
Summary: What happens when a soldier of Bevelle retires to one of Spira's tropical islands and unexpectedly finds the love of his life? He finds the adventure of his life! Join Kilika's Lady Tara and her guardian Gian as they embark on an adventure that will change both of their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1 - Birth of a Friendship

_Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X is copyrighted by Square-Enix. Original characters and original story developments belong to the author._

_Author's Notes: This story takes place 3-6 months before Braska began his pilgrimage in the original story. This was originally written as a single-chapter story, i.e., what you see here. There is more, however, and if there is interest..._

_Extra special thanks to Anasazi Darkmoon, for inspiring me to write this story, and for helping me craft it. This story is my first attempt at writing something of this nature. I am not a skilled writer. My only strength is my ability to come up with interesting characters (I hope) and tons of dialog for them. Writing this story was a lot of fun. I truly hope you enjoy it._

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**Chapter One: Birth of a Friendship**

The sunrise in the port village of Kilika was among the most beautiful in all of Spira, and it was one of the many reasons that Gian had chosen the small island on which to make a new home and a new life.

Gian was a former soldier of Bevelle who was just short of thirty years of age. He stood six feet tall and he was one of Bevelle's more proficient swordsmen. He wasn't a mage by any stretch of the imagination, but he did have a good working knowledge of low-level white magic. Gian really liked the small island village even if the villagers seemed wary of him. Gian found Kilika much more peaceful, and completely devoid of politics and everything else he disliked about Bevelle.

Gian peered out his window and watched the beginning of the village's daily activity. He saw merchants setting up their displays, boats arriving and departing from the dock, and fishermen out looking for their catches of the day. He also noticed one of the more popular residents of the village, a young woman named Tara.

Tara was a young woman of twenty, and a native of Kilika. She was a slender woman of medium height, with a lightly tanned complexion and long, slightly-wavy black hair. Most people who saw Tara would consider her attractive. Being proficient with low-to-mid-level white and black magic, Tara had learned how to take care of herself at an early age, no thanks to the destructive force known as Sin. Tara often helped with the care of many of the young children in the village as well. Tara had given some thought to joining the Yevon clergy, but she was never actually able to make up her mind to begin. Tara also liked the simple nature of Kilika, and she was in no hurry to leave the only home she had ever known.

Gian smiled and resumed cleaning up his small cabin. Afterwards, he began to prepare breakfast. One of Gian's specialties was a quiche-type dish made from eggs and fresh fish caught by his friend Roman, the old fisherman. Roman was one of the few natives who decided to strike up a friendship with the new arrival. Gian loved listening to the old man's stories, and Roman always made sure that Gian had an ample supply of fresh fish.

Gian finished preparing a pan of the delicious entrée and placed it into the fire oven. A few moments later, he heard a knock at his door. He did not expect to see Tara standing in the doorway. "Hi! I don't even really know if you like this or not, but… I thought you might like some coffee this morning."

Gian smiled and accepted. "You said the magic word. I love coffee, and the Kilika blend is the best in Spira. Thank you!"

Tara smiled back. "You're very welcome. Wow, something smells good! What is it?"

Gian checked on the progress of his masterpiece and replied, "Breakfast. Are you hungry? I always make more than I could ever actually eat."

Tara took another deep breath and savored the aroma coming from the oven. She eagerly accepted. "If it tastes as good as it smells, how could I say no?"

The morning was getting off to a great start. Gian began to dish up the delightful concoction. "Good. Perhaps together, we can eat it all and I won't have to feed the fish today." Tara laughed when she tried to picture Gian cooking to feed the island fish.

The two sat down to enjoy breakfast. Much to Tara's delight, her breakfast tasted every bit as good as it smelled. She spoke, "You know, I always see you coming and going, but I never seem to see you out in the village. I'm curious. Tell me about yourself."

"There's not much to tell, really. I was born in Bevelle. I grew up and went to school there as well. When I turned eighteen, I joined the Bevelle Guard. I spent many years in the Guard and I got to the point where I had enough. I've been just about everywhere in Spira. I came through here more than a few times, and I'd always thought this village might be a nice, quiet place to live. It's on the water too, and that's a big plus. The chance came up, so I took it. I really like it here, even if the villagers seem a little nervous around me.

This took Tara by surprise. "I'm not nervous around you. You seem like a nice-enough guy. They just don't know you. Go out into the village. Get to know people, and let them get to know you. The uneasiness will disappear, I promise."

Gian considered Tara's words. "Maybe you're right. I'll try it and see what happens. How was breakfast? Did I do okay?"

Tara patted her tummy. "If you always cook this well, you'll be seeing a lot more of me - in more ways than one."

"I could think of worse things. I'll stop short of fattening you up. So what's going on today?"

"Nothing much, really. I figured I'd do some cleaning and laundry. What about you?" It was a beautiful day, and Tara did not want to spend it cleaning and doing laundry.

Gian knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to do the one thing that he loved more than anything - that didn't involve consuming copious amounts of coffee. "I think I'm gonna see if I can rent a boat. Being out on the water relaxes me. I love the water, and the peace and quiet that comes with it."

That idea seemed to work for Tara. "Sounds like fun! Want some company? If you don't mind, that is."

Gian did not mind at all. He wanted a reason to get to know the young woman and now he had one. "Let's do it!"

They both walked to the end of the dock where they found Roman unloading fishing gear from his boat, having finished his morning trip. Gian handed his friend a nice amount of gil, and then turned to Tara. "Looks like we have a boat!"

The old man smiled. "You kids have fun, now!"

Tara had known Roman her entire life, and she knew he was an excellent judge of character. If he liked Gian, that was good enough for her. In time, the villagers would accept him as well. She was certain of it.

The two spent the next couple of hours on the water talking about anything and everything, from politics, to the various locales of Spira, and even blitzball. They were having a wonderful time together and both hoped it would be the first of many.

Their route cut a wide circle, almost halfway to Baaj Temple and back. At one point in the trip, Tara wondered if Gian knew where he was going. Gian reassured her that even though he grew up in Bevelle, he had been around boats and water since he was very little. He knew what he was doing.

As the pair returned to Kilika Dock, they discovered, to their horror, that not much of the village remained. Sin had come and gone, and left nothing but destruction. The pair could not believe their eyes as they surveyed the damage. They saw cabins lifted completely off their docking posts and destroyed, entire sections of the dock blown away, and other cabins with missing roofs and caved-in walls. Fortunately, most of the villagers had found safety in the jungle area towards the center of the island, but many of their homes were now either non-existent or uninhabitable.

Tears filled Tara's eyes as she walked up and down the remains of the dock. "No...not again..." She knew that Kilika would rebuild, as they had done so many times in the past. Gian wondered how many more times it would be necessary.

Tara stared at a blitzball that was floating just a few feet from what remained of the dock. She knew the child the ball belonged to, and she knew it was his favorite toy. "This has to stop. Nobody should have to live like this," she sobbed, "No more!" The people of Spira had lived under the constant terror of Sin for almost a thousand years. Calling it living, though, was a stretch. With tears still welling in her eyes, she stood silent for a few moments and then made her decision. She turned to face the man she instinctively knew she would always be able to depend on.

"Would you be my guardian?"


	2. Chapter 2 - The Journey Begins

_As always, thank you to my awesome beta Anasazi Darkmoon, for keeping me on the straight and narrow, as I work through this adventure._

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**Chapter Two: The Journey Begins**

Tara emerged from Kilika Temple's Chamber of the Fayth. The mysterious ritual between Fayth and Summoner left her dizzy and exhausted. She had trouble keeping her balance as she made her way down the steps, and walked very slowly and very gingerly. At the halfway mark, she lost her balance, but fortunately, she fell right into Gian's arms. Tara looked up at her guardian with a weak smile on her face. "Hey… guess who's a summoner now…"

"Congratulations, Lady Tara." Gian smiled and gently carried the summoner into one of the resting rooms in the temple.

"Congratulations to you too, Sir Gian," she replied, before losing consciousness.

When Tara awoke, she saw Gian reading while sitting on one of the resting room's sofas. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" he teased, as he took note of Tara's awful bed hair.

"Mmmm… morning... What? Morning? How long was I asleep?"

"You were out for twelve straight hours. At least you don't snore, though. This is good to know!" The guardian could not resist needling her just a bit. It was all in good fun. "I brought you coffee this time. Enjoy! When you're finished, we have to go back to my place. I want to give you something."

Tara giggled so hard that she almost snorted, "That's what she said!"

Gian shook his head in mock annoyance and laughed, "It's something for Spira's new summoner."

The pair made their way back through the jungle, towards the remains of Kilika Dock.

Gian's cabin was much closer to the island than many of the other cabins destroyed in the attack, so his only suffered minor damage compared to the rest. The guardian disappeared into his bedroom closet and emerged with a beautiful gold summoner's staff. "This is for you."

"Gian, this is beautiful! Where did you get it?" Tara marveled at the staff. It was a work of art, adorned with intricate engraved designs, and many different-colored jewels.

"It belonged to my mother. She was a summoner too, but she died before she completed the pilgrimage. I was very young when it happened. Even though this staff is all I have left of her, I can't think of a better home for it. I know she'd want you to have it."

Tara admired the beautiful staff, and then looked at her guardian solemnly. "I will treasure this forever."

Many of the villagers gathered at the jungle entrance grounds behind the dock to witness Tara's first summoning. She nervously looked to Gian, who gave her a confident nod. Concentrating deeply, she gripped the middle of the staff and spun it so the jewel-adorned head made a circle in front of her. She then held the staff outwards and straight up, finally lowering it so that the heel almost touched the ground.

A flaming circle appeared around the summoner with another design, in the middle, that resembled a plus sign. Tara felt the ground shake underneath her feet. A frightening creature with reddish-brown fur, and fists and a tail of fire, emerged from deep within the ground. The creature flew skyward with such force that it carried Tara along with it. As they began to fall, Tara landed gently, in a sitting position, on the creature's outstretched arm. The powerful being landed on its feet, and gently lowered its summoner to the ground. The villagers admired the magnificent form of the wondrous aeon of fire. Ifrit had appeared.

Tara smiled at the cheering crowd in front of her. She looked over to Gian who was also smiling. She turned to her aeon and gently patted its cheek. "I dismiss you, Ifrit. Thank you for coming."

The creature disappeared into a cloud of smoke that dissipated rapidly, and the crowd continued to cheer, even as many of the island children ran to the new summoner. "Lady Tara! That was awesome!"

Smiling the entire time, Tara greeted all the children and the rest of the onlookers too. She thought the "Lady" thing would take some getting used to, though. She had simply been Tara her entire life. Now, she was something different – something more. She was a summoner.

After the celebration, Tara and Gian decided to take a walk, and quickly found themselves in the field behind Kilika Temple. Gian smiled and gazed upon his summoner. "That really was incredible, you know."

"Really? Do you think I could become High Summoner?"

"I think you could do just about anything you set out to do."

If Tara's smile wasn't the most beautiful thing Gian had ever seen, it certainly was high on the list. "We should probably go back now. We have to get up early. We have a journey ahead of us now."

"The Isle of Besaid. I haven't been there in a while," the summoner said softly, "It will be nice to see it again.

As the pair began to make their way back toward the dock, Gian felt Tara's hand wrap around his, holding it gently. He gave Tara's hand a gentle squeeze in return. He appreciated the gesture; it helped to take his mind off what was to come.

After Tara had retired for the evening, Gian decided to go out to the dock one last time. He stared out at the water, thinking about every place they would see together, every trial they would undertake, and the resolution that he dreaded more than anything else.

"Son, I've known Tara her whole life." Gian turned around to see Roman who had joined him. "I bounced her on my knee when she was a little baby, and I watched her grow up into the beautiful young woman she is today. She's one of the brightest rays of sunshine our little island has ever had to offer. In some ways, she's all we have left. Always protect her. Be there for her. She needs you."

"You have my word, Roman. I will never let anything happen to her. I will protect her...with my life, if need be."

Morning came and the pair boarded the ship headed to Besaid. The villagers had all wished them luck. It was a solemn moment, because most everyone, except the children, knew what it meant. Tara stood on the ship's deck and gazed out towards Kilika Dock with sadness in her eyes. She knew she would not be returning…no summoner had ever returned from their pilgrimage after completing it. Those who faced Sin always died in doing so, regardless of victory or defeat, but nobody seemed to know why.

Gian could see the sadness on Tara's face. He vowed to himself that she would not die if he could help it. He would save her. Somehow, he would find a way…he had to find a way.


	3. Chapter 3 - Voyage to Besaid

_Sorry it's taking me so long to update things. Work does have a way of interfering with one's creative endeavors. Again, as always, thank you to Anasazi Darkmoon for all of her wonderful help in bringing this story to you._

**Chapter 3 - Voyage to Besaid**

It was a relatively quiet voyage to the Isle of Besaid. Tara had left the cabin below decks to find Gian staring out at the water, and she found herself curious as to what was bothering her guardian. "Something on your mind?"

"The pilgrimage," Gian replied, "You know what happens at the end, right?"

Tara looked down toward the deck. "Yes…"

"I'm not going to let that happen." Gian was resolute. "There has to be a way to defeat Sin, and not lose you in doing so. I don't know how yet, but there has to be a way. I'll find it. I promise you this."

Tara walked into Gian's arms and laid her head upon his shoulder, and the two of them spent the next several moments enjoying the ocean's tranquility.

Tara took a look around as their boat arrived at the dock in Besaid a few hours later. "Besaid Island. It's as beautiful as I remember it."

Gian took a look at the beach and saw a couple of boats moored to the dock, along with a rack with several pairs of oars and other boating equipment resting upon it. He also saw several small children passing and kicking a blitzball amongst each other. "Let's go," the guardian spoke.

As the pair made their way towards the beach, Gian noticed the blitzball flying straight towards Tara. The summoner wasn't worried though. "It's okay, Gian, I got this." Tara caught the ball and whipped it back towards the children.

One member of the group ran toward the summoner. He appeared to be the leader of the group, a tanned child with a spike of orange hair just above his forehead. "Nice pass, ya!" the child remarked. "Where you learn to do that?"

"I'm from Kilika," the summoner replied, "There's not much to do there." Tara smiled at the child.

"I'm Wakka! What's your name?"

"I'm Tara, and this is Gian. It's nice to meet you, Wakka."

One of the other children threw the ball towards Gian, who caught it, and passed it back towards the group. "Gian, come on. Let's go practice some Blitzball!" Tara said, clearly in a playful mood.

"Do we really have time for this?" the guardian questioned.

"We're on a pilgrimage, I know," replied the summoner, "But there's no reason we can't have some fun along the way, right?"

Gian thought about it, and smiled. "You're right. Let's do it!"

For the next half hour or so, Tara and Gian practiced different blitzball techniques with the children, and Tara even offered a few pointers here and there as the children soaked up all of the information. One of the other children walked up to Tara. "I'm Chappu! You're pretty good. You ever play on a team?"

Tara appreciated the compliment. "No, I'm not really that good. I just like to exercise a lot, and blitzball is a pretty fun game. I leave the actual competition to the real players."

The pair continued their practice with the children when they heard a scream coming from somewhere just up the road leading toward the village. "Gian, did you hear that?" Tara asked, disturbed. "Let's go see what's wrong."

The pair discovered a little girl who had somehow managed to get her foot stuck in between several mid-sized boulders. Advancing on the child was a large ant-like creature. The guardian stepped forward. "Tara, take care of the girl. I'll take care of ugly."

The guardian drew his sword and stepped forward to execute a textbook diagonal upward slash which split the creature in two, causing it to disappear into a cloud of pyreflies. The girl was in a great deal of pain as Tara offered comfort. "Everything is going to be okay, sweetie. Don't you worry."

Gian began to remove the rocks that were surrounding the girl's foot. "What happened?" he asked.

The child whimpered, "I… I wandered out here by myself. I know I'm not supposed to. I slipped and fell, and got my foot stuck. And then…that…wanted to get me!"

"You're right. You shouldn't have wandered out here by yourself." Gian replied. "It can be dangerous and fiends love pretty little girls."

The guardian finished removing the rocks, freeing the little girl's foot, and then Tara examined it, making sure nothing was broken. "Don't you worry, we can fix this, right Gian?" The guardian nodded. "What's your name, sweetie?" Tara asked as she gently wrapped her arms around the child.

"Rayann" came the response as the girl clung to the summoner.

"Nothing appears to be broken" Gian noted. He placed his hands around the girl's foot and ankle, and began to concentrate. Finally, he spoke. "Cure." A green aura emanated from the guardian's hands and flowed into the child's foot and ankle. A few moments later, Rayann was smiling, no longer in pain.

"You didn't break anything, but you did twist that ankle pretty well. It'll be okay until we return to the village. We'll need to cure it again, and you'll need to stay off it for a while, okay?" The girl nodded.

The summoner introduced herself to the girl. "My name is Tara, and this is Gian."

Rayann noticed the bow on Tara's top – the special bow that all summoners wore. "Wow, are you a... summoner?" The child spoke that last word with a certain reverence.

"I sure am, sweetie!"

Tara noticed the unmistakable look of hope on Rayann's face, as the girl continued, "Are you gonna bring us the Calm?"

Tara gazed at the child - such a beautiful little girl with big grey eyes and long blonde hair. She wanted nothing more for this child than to be able to grow up and live her life never again experiencing the terror of Sin. "Yes. I will. You can count on it."

Rayann threw herself into a big hug with the summoner as Gian stood. "We should get on back to the village. Can you walk now, Rayann?"

Rayann stood up and gingerly put weight onto her ankle, seeing if everything was okay. "I… I think so…"

The trio began to make their way back to Besaid Village when another large ant-like creature appeared and blocked their path. "You've seen this kind before," Tara said, "He's pretty easy to deal with. Right, Gian?"

With another sword slash, another fiend was dispatched. Rayann grinned as the guardian shot her a wink. The trio did not make it very far when the next attacker presented itself. It was a jiggly blue Water Flan. This time, Gian spoke. "My sword will be useless against this guy. But there's always more than one way to get the job done." The guardian sheathed his sword and handed Rayann a lightning gem. "I want you to toss this so it lands right in front of Jiggly, there."

Rayann giggled at Gian's nickname for the fiend. She tossed the lightning gem and it landed just an inch or two in front of the creature. A bolt of lightning struck the fiend. It jiggled violently and exploded into pyreflies! A wide-eyed Rayann remarked, "Wow…that was awesome!"

The three had almost made it to the village when they were again attacked, this time by what appeared to be a wolf-like creature. "This one is mine." Tara stated. She stepped forward to cast a fire spell which sent the creature running away, howling the entire time – much to the delight of the giggling Rayann. The sky had grown dark because of a gigantic bird that had swooped down above them. Rayann became very nervous. "Uh oh… Gian, can you beat that?" She pointed toward the gruesome flying creature.

"Well, I could," offered the guardian, "but let's see what Tara can really do!"

Tara performed the summoning ritual once more. And once more, the ground shook and Ifrit appeared. She patted the creature's cheek and pointed her staff toward the flying beast. Ifrit sprang into action. He dug up a portion of the ground and flung it skyward. He then jumped high into the air to meet the debris. The aeon pounded the rocks straight into the fiend, causing it to explode into pyreflies. Rayann was jumping and cheering the whole time. Tara was about to dismiss her aeon when she heard Rayann's voice. "Can I touch him?" Surprisingly, the girl was not afraid of the aeon at all.

The summoner looked at her aeon. "Ifrit?"

The aeon rumbled softly, hunching down low onto all fours, so the little girl could pet him. She turned toward Tara with a huge grin as Ifrit disappeared. The trio finally made their way to Besaid village where Rayann's mother hurriedly ran to her child. Rayann hugged her mother, and softly spoke. "I'm sorry for wandering off. I won't do it any more, I promise. These nice people helped me!" Rayann's mother held her child tightly, relieved that she was safe.

Tara emerged from Besaid Temple's Chamber of the Fayth a couple of hours later, after having made her way through the trials with Gian's help. She was still dizzy and exhausted, but this time she did not need help making it down the stairs. She walked straight into her guardian's arm and laid her head upon his shoulder.

"I must be getting better at this…" the summoner mused aloud before losing consciousness.

After a short rest, the pair made their way toward the village's center square, where Tara summoned the shining silver, bird-like aeon Valefor, to the delight of the villagers – including Rayann. As Tara greeted the villagers, Rayann's mother spoke with Gian. "I'd like to thank you for helping my daughter. She likes to run off a lot, but I think she's learned her lesson this time."

"She's a great kid," the guardian remarked, "Tara and I want nothing more than for her to be able to grow up in a world that no longer has to live in fear of Sin. And we are going to do everything we can to make that happen."

"Good luck to you both!" Rayann's mother exclaimed as she hugged the guardian.

As Tara and Gian left the village, Tara spoke. "Well, where shall we go next?"

"Luca." came the guardian's reply. "We have all of Spira to see, and we don't want to miss anything."


	4. Chapter 4 - Luca

_Here's another update. It won't be too much longer until the story starts to pick up. I'm still in "laying the groundwork" mode for everything that is to come. I'm writing when my schedule permits and hopefully the updates will be more frequent. Thanks again - as always - to Anasazi Darkmoon for being a wonderful beta and for providing inspiration!_

**Chapter 4 - Luca**

Tara and Gian had just boarded the boat that was headed to Luca. He took a look around the deck. This particular boat was a lot more crowded than the boat headed to Besaid. He saw players from three different blitzball teams – the Kilika Beasts, Besaid Aurochs, and Al Bhed Psyches. Three blitzball teams on the same boat was an invitation for in-sphere pool rivalries to spill outside of the sphere pool. He looked over to his summoner, "This should be an interesting trip, wouldn't you say?"

Tara had to suppress a giggle. "I think so! I hope they all remember to save their energy for the game!

She was pleased that Gian had become a supporter of his new home team, the Kilika Beasts. Even the guardian's day-to-day garb resembled something similar to the Beasts' standard blitzball uniform. She had been a lifelong fan of the team, and while they had never won Spira's annual championship tournament, they had always managed to make a respectable showing for themselves. The Luca Goers had always been the best team in Spira, and they always won the championship every year. Both hoped that this year would be different.

Tara introduced Gian to the Beasts players. As the guardian shook hands with the team members, he spoke. "So how are things looking this year? Do you have a shot?"

The team captain, Darno, replied, "I really think we do have a shot this year. This year's team is better than anything I've ever seen before. The Goers are gonna be in for the fight of their lives!"

Tara chimed in, "I hope you're right! We'd love for you to bring that Crystal Cup back to Kilika Temple this year. We'll both be pulling for you!"

"And we'll be pulling for you as well, Lady Tara! You bring us the Calm, and we'll take care of the Cup!" exclaimed the smiling Darno.

"Deal!" the summoner high-fived the blitz player.

As the pair wished the team luck, the boat shook violently, and waves of water crashed upon the deck. Loud screams were heard from the crew members. "Sin!"

Gian looked towards the ship's bow and saw a huge fin protruding from the water. He turned to Tara. "That's way too far away for me to be able to do any damage with my sword. Is there anything you can do?"

The summoner looked concerned. "We need to catch up to it. I could hit it with some spells, but from this distance, they wouldn't have much on them. I'm not sure summoning would be any better, either."

The guardian saw one of the crewmates readying a harpoon - which made no sense to the guardian. "What are you doing? If you harpoon it, we'll just get dragged along! This boat can't handle that kind of stress. You'll get us all killed!"

"Sir Gian, we've gotta do something!" the crewmate exclaimed. "Our families are in trouble!"

The harpoon cannon fired and the harpoon buried itself into Sin's dorsal fin. The cable from the harpoon tightened and the boat began to be dragged along behind the immense creature.

The stress of being dragged behind Sin was too much for the harpoon cable and it snapped. Sin submerged and appeared to go on about its business, ignoring the boat as it slowed to a standstill – still in one piece. The summoner quipped, "We got lucky on that one. Or…did we?" Tara's voice trailed off as she noticed a swarm of Sinspawn heading straight for the deck.

"Everybody below decks!" the guardian shouted, "And close the doors!"

As the swarm of Sinspawn arrived, sticking right onto the deck, Gian noted that there were too many of them to count. The guardian stood out in front of his summoner and began to cut down as many Sinspawn as he could. Tara hurled fire, lighting, and ice spells from behind Gian's perimeter of protection as quickly as she could, as there was no time to summon. Finally, the pair managed to eliminate the Sinspawn, and then dropped to one knee, overcome with fatigue, but still relieved that the battle was over with. They failed to notice one remaining Sinspawn behind them, however, and it was poised to strike.

"Noooooooo!" came a little voice from behind the mast.

Gian looked behind him to see a Sinspawn, and right next to it, an ice gem landed. The gem exploded and froze the Sinspawn solid, and the guardian hurriedly tossed the frozen Sinspawn overboard. "Where did that come from?" Tara asked, but then looked over towards the mast to see the smiling Rayann. "Rayann!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Mommy and I are going to the blitzball tournament! You going too?" The little girl jumped into Tara's arms.

"We sure are," the summoner replied, "and it looks like we owe you some thanks this time!"

"You've gotten pretty good at using those gems, haven't you," the guardian noted.

"I practiced a bit! I listened to what you told me about using gems" the girl replied as she gave Gian a hug. "My foot is all better now too, thanks to you!"

"Rayann! There you are!" The girl's mother exclaimed as she ran to her daughter. "You promised me you weren't going to run off anymore!"

"I know, Mommy, I'm sorry," the child replied, "But a fiend was gonna get Tara and Gian! I couldn't let that happen. Not after they helped me!"

Rayann's mother was relieved. The guardian spoke. "It seems everybody is okay. No harm done. Tara and I are a bit whupped though, that was one heck of a fight. We should go below decks and rest up." He spoke to the child once more. "So you're going to the blitzball tournament too, huh?"

"Uh huh! And the Aurochs are gonna win this year!" the child giggled.

"I don't think so!" the guardian playfully teased, "Beasts all the way!"

"No way!" Rayann stuck her tongue out and made a face at the guardian.

Rayann's mother introduced herself as Lana, giggling while watching Rayann and Gian going back and forth over which blitzball team was the better team.

"Gian?" Tara called, catching the guardian's attention, "Lana and I are going to get some refreshments while you children argue over blitzball, okay?" Tara's smirk was unmistakable.

Not to be one-upped, the guardian replied "Coffee! Two creams!"

"Ice cream!" Rayann exclaimed.

Tara and Lana laughed as they made their way to the galley to gather up the refreshments. After a few moments, Lana's demeanor became a bit more serious. "Lady Tara, I was just wondering. Have you noticed anything unusual during your pilgrimage?"

"Please, just call me Tara," the summoner replied, "We haven't really seen much of anything yet. What are you referring to?"

"It could be nothing, I'm not really sure," Lana replied, "but I've heard rumors of summoners disappearing while on their pilgrimage. It may or may not be true, but I was just wondering if you've seen or experienced anything odd."

"Aside from that last battle up on the deck, everything has been relatively calm, in a manner of speaking. We really haven't seen much of anything that we didn't expect."

"Well, do be careful. All of us are pulling for you, and you know Rayann just absolutely adores you both."

"Lana, I hope you don't find this too personal, or too out of line for me to ask, but… where is Rayann's father?"

"He died." Lana said softly. "He died fighting Sin. Rayann was just a baby when it happened. She didn't even really know him. In a way, it's almost a better situation than what it could have been if she were older."

"I'm so sorry," the summoner replied as she hugged the woman, "It's sad to say, but most people in Spira have lost a loved one to Sin. That's why Gian and I are on pilgrimage. We want to put a stop to it. We want for all of Spira to live free without the nightmare of Sin hanging over us."

"You absolutely have my support. I can't thank you enough for what you and Gian have done for Rayann and myself."

"She's a wonderful little girl and you've done well with her. If Gian and I can help it, she'll have her whole life ahead of her – and you too, you know. You're still pretty young, yourself!"

The women exchanged another hug as their boat arrived at the dock in Luca. "I guess we'll have to get that coffee and ice cream to go!" Tara quipped. The pair exchanged a laugh and made their way above decks. "Let's go get the rest of our crew!"

The foursome left the dock area and gazed upon Luca, the second-largest city in all of Spira.

Gian handed Lana some gil, enough to pay for all of their game tickets. "Lana, would you do the honors with the tickets? The games are on me today. Tara and I want to take a look around, first."

Lana smiled at the guardian's generosity. "Alright, but please hurry. The first round starts in an hour. Rayann and I will be waiting for you."

As Tara and Gian began to explore the city, Tara spoke. "Gian, we should keep our eyes peeled. Lana said something about a rumor she'd heard - something about summoners disappearing on their pilgrimages."

"Who could be behind that?" the guardian asked.

"She didn't really know," the summoner replied, "and she wasn't entirely sure it was accurate. We should be careful just the same."

"Don't worry," the guardian reassured, "As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Shall we go?"

The summoner was concerned. "I don't have a good feeling about this. Something tells me we'll find out what's going on first-hand. And I don't think we'll have to wait very long either."


	5. Chapter 5 - Blitzball Time

_Wow, this was a fun one! Hope you enjoy it! As always, thanks to Anasazi Darkmoon for her wonderful help in fixing my mistakes, and adding small, subtle details which end up adding so much to the story - things that I would have overlooked. You're the best!_

**Chapter 5 - Blitzball Time**

Tara and Gian had made their way through the residential section of Luca and found nothing out of the ordinary and decided to return to the blitzball stadium.

"Summoners disappearing?" Gian asked, looking troubled. "This isn't by accident. Someone's behind this."

"But who could it be?" Tara responded. "There has to be a reason."

"It doesn't matter to me what the reason is. If someone thinks they're going to mess with you, they'll have me to deal with." The guardian was not happy with the prospect of an anti-summoner conspiracy.

"I really don't know." Tara replied. "Let's just continue about our business and take things as they come."

Gian agreed, but was clearly not happy with this most recent development. The pair had made their way back to the pier area, headed towards the blitzball stadium, when they found themselves surrounded by several machina robots. "What are these things?" the summoner asked.

"Machina. Robots." Gian answered, then paused, struck with an idea. "Use water. Short them out."

Tara cast a couple of water spells and the magic had its desired effect. Gian cut down the remainder of the robots with precision sword work. When the next wave of machina robots appeared, they were dealt with in the same manner. The third wave of machina, however, seemed to be new and improved versions, and they were proving to be more difficult to dispatch. Gian attempted to cut one of them down, and he felt a powerful shock run through his body as his sword made contact with the robot. "Okay, that's not going to work!" he exclaimed, shaking off the effects of the jolt.

A few more robots entered the picture and the pair was completely surrounded. "Oh, this is ridiculous!" the summoner exclaimed as the robots continued their attack. She began the summoning ritual and the shining silver bird-like aeon Valefor emerged from a flash from high up in the sky. Valefor floated above the pier and cast her energy beam, frying all of the machina in the area. The resulting explosion was very loud and its force threw Gian against the wall of the blitzball stadium. After reorienting himself, he turned to look for Tara, but she was nowhere to be found. "Tara? Tara!" he shouted as he ran down the length of the pier, looking for his summoner. He heard explosions at the far end, and made his way towards the disturbance.

Gian was shocked at what he saw. A gigantic robot with a large clear spherical object for a head – with Tara trapped inside it. The huge machina advanced toward the guardian, swinging a large arm down on top of him. Gian rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed. He looked up to see the other arm headed his way, and rolled again to escape the blow. "Come on, Gian, think of something!" the guardian though out loud. He noticed several power lines running up the back of the machine. He knew he couldn't cut them – having remembered the shock he received from the last robot he tried to cut down. He suspected that the answer might be in the elements.

The guardian only had a few gems of any variety left as he had given many of them to Rayann, so the girl would have the means to protect herself. He was wishing that he had a few more of them left, when an idea struck. He hurled one of the fire gems directly at the wall behind the robot. The fire gem bounced off the wall and landed directly at the back of the robot's feet. He knew that fire would not damage the machine itself, but it might melt the power lines. His gamble paid off as the machine froze in place.

Sword-work took care of the now-inert machine. It fell to its knees and then face down upon the pier. The round sphere had rolled off the machine's shoulders and disintegrated upon contact with the ground, freeing Tara who was shaken by the impact, but otherwise unharmed.

After making sure that Tara was okay, Gian hugged his summoner tightly, relieved. "Tara, who did this to you?" the guardian asked.

"It was…" she replied, still disoriented from her fall, "It was...the Al Bhed!"

If Gian was angry before, he was really angry now. He never had any previous issues with the Al Bhed, and he often angered the Yevon clergy with his defense of the people that he viewed as having been treated unfairly because of their beliefs. "Let's go" he spoke, taking Tara's hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To get some answers."

"Gian, please… don't do anything rash!" The summoner was now very fearful – for the Al Bhed blitz players.

The guardian stopped and looked directly at his summoner. "Tara, these people kidnapped you. For what reason, I don't know. Who knows what they would have done had I not been here? They did this and I want to know why."

The pair made their way to the locker room of the Al Bhed Psyches. Gian went straight for the team captain, hurling him up against the locker room wall – with his forearm on the man's throat. "Why was my summoner taken? You'd better answer me right now or you'll never blitz again, I promise you."

One of the other team members came up behind the guardian, who struck back with his elbow, knocking the man onto the floor. "I'm waiting!" the guardian implored, turning his attention back to the blitz captain.

"Bmayca!" the Al Bhed captain stammered, "E ghuf hudrehk! E's zicd y pmedwan!"

"Gian!" a voice spoke from the other end of the locker room. He turned to see the face of Rin, an Al Bhed merchant he had befriended months earlier.

"What did he just say, Rin?" the guardian asked.

"He says he knows nothing. He's just a blitz player. Please, Gian…let him go. He's been here all day and I very much doubt he's had anything to do with anything"

Gian turned back to the blitzer, his forearm still on the man's throat. "You send a message to your people. If anybody even thinks about messing with the summoner Tara, I promise you, I'll be back. You think I'm in a bad mood now, you just try me." He then released the blitzer, who ran from the room with his teammates behind him.

Gian turned to the merchant. "Rin, what the hell is going on here?"

"I can only speculate," the merchant stated, "I cannot say for sure. I have not been amongst my people for quite some time. But I get the impression that things are not quite what they appear to be. I'm truly sorry, I wish I could tell you more."

"Thanks Rin." The guardian was starting to calm down. "Tara, this is Rin. He's a merchant that I met several months ago. Anything I buy, I buy from him."

Tara shook hands with the merchant. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Rin."

"Equally nice to meet you as well, Lady Tara. Please, just call me Rin."

"This has been quite the experience." Tara was relieved that the situation didn't escalate out of control. "Perhaps we can enjoy the games now, and things will return to normal?"

"Yes," the guardian spoke, "We should probably get to the stadium. We've probably missed the first game already. We'll see you later, Rin. We'll need to stock up before we leave Luca."

"I look forward to it," the merchant replied as he shook hands with both guardian and summoner.

As the pair made their way to the blitz arena, they were stopped by a young girl working the ticket booth. "Excuse me, are you Gian by chance?"

"Yes" the guardian stated. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem. Here are your tickets. The woman who purchased them left them here for you. She described you and…well…you kinda look like what she described."

Tara smiled at the girl. "Thank you so much, we were afraid we'd have to buy more tickets to get in!"

"Oh it's no trouble at all. Enjoy the games!"

"Thank you," the guardian offered, then turned to his summoner, "Well, what else can happen today? The day isn't over yet, you know."

"Blitzball, I hope - and nothing else. I'm not sure I could handle any more excitement today!"

Tara and Gian made their way up to their seats where Rayann and Lana were waiting. "What took you so long?" Lana asked.

Tara smiled and replied "A little…shall we say…unexpected excitement."

"And I missed it?" Rayann seemed disappointed.

"You don't need any more excitement" the guardian teased. "How are the games going?"

"As you already knew, the Goers got a first round bye, because they won the championship last year," Lana explained, "But you'll also be pleased to know that your Kilika Beasts also drew a first round bye. They'll play the winners of the Al Bhed vs. Ronso matchup"

"The Aurochs lost…" mumbled a dejected Rayann.

"Yes, you missed that game," remarked Lana. "They lost to the Guado team 5-2."

The tournament progressed with the Goers defeating the Guado 7-3, and the Ronso defeated the Al Bhed 6-0 – setting up a semi-final match between Luca and the Ronso. On the other side of the bracket, Besaid lost to the Guado, making the semifinal match between the Guado and the the Kilika Beasts.

Kilika defeated the Guado 4-1 and Luca defeated the Ronso 5-3, setting up the championship match between the Kilika Beasts and Luca Goers.

"Go Beasts!" Rayann shouted, while standing on her seat.

Gian looked over towards Rayann. "Oh, now you come around!" he teased - his previous anger clearly having subsided.

"Since my Aurochs didn't win, I want the Goers to lose!"

Luca fielded what was easily the most skilled team in Spira, but the Beasts played with heart that had never been seen before. Halftime came with neither team having scored.

The crowd was buzzing because nobody had ever seen the Luca Goers held scoreless for an entire half. The Beasts had put on a defensive display that was unparalleled, and they were starting to win over many members of the hometown crowd. Tara was almost shaking with anticipation at the start of the second half. "They might actually do it!" she exclaimed, "They might actually win!"

It did not take long for the Goers to draw first blood in the second half. But before the crowd energy could subside, Kilika fired back, tying the score at one. The entire crowd was on their feet with a minute left to play. Lanzo, the Beasts forward, intercepted the ball from the Luca captain and executed a long forward pass to team captain Darno, who found himself quickly surrounded. Seeing his opening, Darno faked out the Goers captain and passed back to Lanzo, who put everything he had into what would end up being the final shot of the game. The crowd noise was deafening, as the ball sailed past the fingers of the Luca goalie as time expired. The Kilika Beasts had won 2-1, and they were now champions for the first time in club history.

There was no time to celebrate though, as the sphere pool drained and the stadium became overrun with fiends. The shrieks from the crowd were deafening and people were pushing past one another, trying to exit the stadium.

"What the hell?" Tara exclaimed.

"I'll give you two guesses…" the guardian dryly remarked. "Stick close to me!"

Gian began to cut down as many fiends as he could. Tara summoned Valefor who, once again, took many of the fiends out with her energy beam. Still, it was not enough. The guardian heard a voice behind him. "Looks like you could use a little help maybe?"

The guardian turned around to see the smiling face of Darno, the Beasts captain, who had cobbled together many of the members of the Kilika, Besaid, Guado, Ronso, and Luca teams. Each had a spiked blitzball, and they were ready to fight.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Darno shouted. "Let's blitz!"

"Let's blitz!" came the roar from the very large and formidable blitzball squad.

Fighting as a full-fledged team, the fiends were taken out in fairly short order. Even Rayann was tossing gems from the stands and she had taken a couple of fiends out as well. Many of the fans who were previously trying to escape the blitzball stadium changed their mind, and they stayed behind to watch the battle. Loud cheers were heard throughout the fight, and even louder cheers were heard once the fiends were finally dispatched.

Brazek, the Luca captain, high-fived Darno, exclaiming, "Hell, this was more fun than the game!"

"You guys were awesome!" replied the Kilika captain. "Thanks for helping out! Great game, too!"

"Agreed, and congratulations." Brazek offered. "You guys were the better team today and you deserved to win."

"Thanks again, for everything!" The two blitzers hugged, sharing a bond that transcended any in-game rivalries.

Tara laid her head upon Gian's shoulder, admiring the sportsmanship between the two blitz captains.

Afterwards, Gian and Darno shook hands once again. "Thanks for the help. And congratulations to you, as well," the guardian offered, "that was one hell of a game. I've never seen anything like it. You guys are champions now!

Darno was gushing. "And it feels damn good too!"

"I knew you could do it! Tara exclaimed as she hugged the blitz captain. "You kept your part of the deal, so count on us to keep ours!"

"I look forward to it, Lady Tara, truly!" Darno looked at the guardian once again. "So what was all that about anyway? Where did all those fiends come from?"

"It was the Al Bhed. They're after Tara. We don't know why, though."

"Well, that's not very bright of them. I'm glad the two of you are on our side!" laughed the blitzer. "I can't promise anything, but I'll poke around some. If I learn anything, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Darno." The guardian and blitzer shook hands once again. "So what's next for you?"

"Well, we'll keep practicing and playing." Darno replied. "We have a dynasty to build here. The two of you have taught us that anything is possible if you have heart and you work hard enough for it! What about you?"

"We'll continue our journey," the guardian replied. "The Mi'ihen Highroad is just outside of Luca. We'll travel that way towards Djose. I hear there's another aeon there. It's worth checking out at least."

"I wish you luck. And watch out for those Al Bhed!"

"Take care of yourself, Darno," Tara spoke as she hugged the blitzer once more.

"And you too. Both of you, be safe!"

The pair made their way back to the dock to see Lana and Rayann off, on their trip back to Besaid. "Well, that was quite a day, wasn't it?" Gian remarked. "I hope you enjoyed the tournament, and the post-game show."

Lana chuckled. "I think we've had more than enough excitement to last us for a while. But it was a fun tournament. And I'm glad everything worked out okay. So you will continue on your journey?"

"Yes," Tara replied. "We have a long road ahead of us. We've only just gotten started."

Tears fell from Rayann's eyes. "I'm gonna miss you, Tara, promise me you'll come back?" the girl asked as she hugged the summoner.

"You better believe it!" Tara responded, as Rayann's tears were replaced by a huge smile. "We're gonna be around for a long, long time!"

"Be good, and don't wander off anymore." spoke the guardian, as the little girl hugged him.

"I won't, I promise. I'll miss you, Gian!"

"I'll miss you too. Have a safe trip and be good!"

After all the hugs and goodbyes where exchanged, Lana and Rayann walked up the ramp to board their ship. The guardian called out to the little girl once more.

The child turned around and the guardian tossed her another small pouch of gems. Rayann's smile was from ear to ear.

At the entrance to the Mi'ihen Highroad, Tara remarked, "That was quite a day, wasn't it, Gian?"

"It sure was! I could use a little peace and quiet - and some coffee!"

"Let's go," the summoner spoke. "The sooner we get down the road, the sooner we can get that coffee! I can't believe you've gotten me addicted to that stuff too!"

The guardian laughed. "There are worse addictions out there!" Both summoner and guardian shared a laugh. Together, hand in hand, they began to make their way down the Mi'ihen Highroad.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Highroad

_I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Extra special thanks to Anasazi Darkmoon, who I'm quite sure I'm driving up the wall with my recent updates. When the creative juices flow, you don't fight it! You're the best AD, thanks for everything!_

**Chapter 6 - The Highroad**

Tara and Gian's trip down the Mi'ihen Highroad was not very exciting in comparison to their time in Luca. The pair encountered the occasional machina robot, wolf-like creature, flan, and flying beast, all of which were dealt with in short order. They paused when they arrived at the statue of Lord Mi'ihen. "Tara, do you know who this is?" Gian asked. When Tara shook her head in response, he explained, "This is Lord Mi'ihen. He started a faction centuries ago, a faction that would become today's Crusaders."

"Ah, yes," Tara replied, "I know who the Crusaders are."

"Lord Mi'ihen's faction fought Sin at every turn, using unconventional means, namely, means forbidden by Yevon. Their ranks grew all over Spira. However, the Maesters didn't like that. They feared an uprising, so they branded Lord Mi'ihen a traitor. Lord Mi'ihen walked down this very road towards Bevelle, to challenge the Maesters and refute their charges. He actually did manage to convince the Maesters that he was doing a good thing. The Maesters relented, and made his faction an official arm of Yevon. That's how the Crusaders came to be."

"That explains the Mi'ihen part of things." Tara stated, "But why is it called a Highroad?"

"A couple of reasons were commonly offered," the guardian explained, "the first reason being because of the height of the road – I mean, take a look...we're pretty high up here! The second reason was that Lord Mi'ihen was reputed to have 'taken the high road' in dealing with the Maesters, instead of confronting them in...shall we say...a less diplomatic manner."

"So which do you believe, Gian?"

The guardian chuckled. "I kinda think it's a bit of both. That's what I've always believed, at least."

"You sure know your history, don't you?" Tara smiled at him. She then did a double take as several large yellow birds ran right past her. "Whoa! What in blazes was that?"

"Chocobos!" The guardian had a huge smile on his face. "What, you've never ridden a chocobo before?"

"Ridden one? I've never even seen one before! We don't have these things in Kilika, you know! You actually ride them?"

"Oh Tara, you haven't lived! There's a chocobo stable down the road. You're in for a treat!"

"Gian, I don't know about this…" Tara seemed very nervous.

"Chocobos love people. They're the friendliest creatures in all of Spira! We'll find you a nice bird. You'll love them once you get used to them. Don't worry, just trust me. You're about to have more fun than you've ever had. And I know you like fun!"

"True... True..." she remarked, though her tone and expression were dubious "Still, I don't know..."

As the pair made their way further down the highroad, they saw the chocobo stable. Right next to the stable was a brand new building with a sign up top that read "Travel Agency." "Hmm, that's new," the guardian noted. "I haven't seen that before. Let's go check it out."

They approached the building and they were greeted by none other than Rin. "Welcome, Lady Tara and Sir Gian!"

The guardian smiled upon seeing his friend. "Rin, please tell me you have some coffee in there."

"But of course," the merchant replied. "I even have extra stock as I knew you both would be headed this way. And how is the Lady Tara?"

"The Lady Tara is fine," the summoner playfully quipped, "But she's also extremely nervous about riding these giant birds that her beloved guardian seems to love so much. First things first: let's get that coffee!"

"Ah, Lady Tara, you have nothing to fear from the Chocobos. If you've never seen one before, I suppose they could seem intimidating. Once you've been around them for a bit, you will come to love and trust them. Please, come inside. I have coffee for you both, straight from Kilika."

Gian was already halfway through the door. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

As the three sat down to enjoy their coffee, the guardian admired the decor of the building. "This is a nice place you have here, Rin. When did you get into the travel agency business?"

"Very recently," the merchant replied. "It is my dream to open travel agencies all over Spira, with each travel agency having its own stores for weapons, armor, sundries… a one-stop shop for travel, if you will. This particular building is my first. I am pleased that you like it."

"If anybody could accomplish that, it'd be you." The guardian began to pour more coffee for the three.

As the trio enjoyed their coffee, a young girl entered the building and walked up to the merchant. "The chocobos have all been fed and there is fresh water in all of the troughs. Is there anything else you need from me today?"

"No, Alyssa, I think that should take care of everything for today. Oh, I'd like you to meet the summoner Lady Tara and her guardian Sir Gian."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you both!" the girl greeted the summoner and guardian. "Will you be riding some chocobos today?"

Before Tara could protest, Gian quickly remarked "We would LOVE to ride the chocobos today!" The guardian felt a kick against his shin underneath the table while the summoner had a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

"Lady Tara, have you ever ridden a chocobo before?" Alyssa inquired.

"I'm afraid I haven't, and I'm rather uneasy with the whole prospect."

"Aww, don't worry, Lady Tara. I'll teach you everything you need to know. It's very easy. Let's go outside and we'll get started!"

Tara, Gian, and Alyssa exited the building and walked towards the back of the agency where the chocobo stables were. Several birds were walking around the fenced-in area as the three entered. One of the birds walked right up to the summoner and laid its head on her shoulder, making a cooing sound, which startled the summoner.

Alyssa had to suppress a giggle. "Aww, that's Coco! Look, she likes you!" Tara nervously reached over to scratch the bird underneath her chin. The bird continued her cooing noise and then walked around in front of the summoner, hunching down low.

"What's she doing?" the summoner asked.

"Coco wants to take you for a ride." Alyssa could sense the summoner's nervousness. "Don't worry, Coco is very gentle. She won't do anything to scare you. Go ahead. Climb on!" Tara nervously threw her leg over the bird's back, and settled into riding position. Coco stood slowly, and began to trot around the stable area, slowly, as to not scare her rider.

"See?" Alyssa remarked. "That's not so bad, is it?"

Tara's nervousness was beginning to subside as she began to grow comfortable with the creature. "Okay, I think I might be starting to get the hang of this. Let's just go slowly, okay?"

"You got it!" Alyssa looked towards the guardian. "How about you, Sir Gian? Do you need any training?"

"Just Gian will do." The guardian smiled back. "I'm an experienced rider, I'll be fine."

"Excellent!" Alyssa exclaimed, as she noticed a larger bird making his way over towards the guardian. "That's Diablo. You think you can handle him?"

The guardian grinned. "We'll see, won't we?"

He looked over towards Tara to see how she was doing. Coco was lightly trotting around the stable area as Tara seemed to be a lot more comfortable with things. He mounted Diablo and then asked Alyssa to open the gate. Coco had stopped just short of the exit and was waiting for Diablo to join her.

The guardian looked over to his summoner. "You seem to be getting along with Coco quite well. Are you ready to go for a little run?"

"I suppose so..." Tara was trying to sound confident but was still a bit nervous.

"Don't worry, Lady Tara. You can trust Coco. She won't let anything happen to you, I promise!" Alyssa reassured.

"Alright, let's do this..." the summoner nervously spoke.

Tara and Gian enjoyed a nice little trot on their chocobos, all the way back to the entrance of the Mi'ihen Highroad. As they turned around to head back to the travel agency, Gian looked over to Tara. "Ready?"

"Ready?" Tara asked. "Ready for what?"

"Ready to turn 'em loose! Just hang on tight and enjoy the ride and the view!"

Tara could sense her guardian's excitement and decided to put her nervousness aside, to try to enjoy things as much as he seemed to."

"All right then," the guardian prepared, 'Go, Diablo!" The guardian's bird took off on a spirited speed run.

Coco looked back at her rider and made another cooing noise. Tara gripped her reins tightly and spoke the words her chocobo wanted to hear. "Go, Coco!"

Coco took off after Diablo and caught up to him. Tara looked over towards Gian who had a huge grin on his face. "Watch this!" exclaimed the guardian.

He steered Diablo past the travel agency and chocobo stables, right up to the edge of the highroad. The elegant bird jumped and began to glide down into the expanse, landing at the entrance to the lower portion of the road, appropriately called "The Lowroad."

"Oh hell no!" the summoner shouted. "Nuh uh! No way! Not a chance! I am NOT doing that!" Coco stopped and looked back over her shoulder and made another cooing noise. "Seriously, Coco?" The bird cooed once more. Tara shrugged as Coco backtracked a bit, in order to give herself some room to make the jump. Remembering Alyssa's promise that Coco wouldn't let anything happen to her, she gripped the reins again tightly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Go, Coco!"

Tara felt her bird speed up and a few seconds later, she no longer felt the bird's footsteps. She slowly opened her eyes - expecting to be falling. Instead, she noticed she was gracefully gliding through the expanse, slowly making her way down the expanse in a wide spiral. Coco's touchdown was so light, the summoner didn't even feel it. Before she knew it, she was down in the Lowroad area with her guardian.

"Now tell me that wasn't worth the price of admission!" the guardian quipped.

"Okay, you were right..." she replied, pretending to still be scared. She turned Coco back towards the hills of the Lowroad and proceeded to go back the way they both came.

"Where are you going?" the guardian asked.

"Back up to the top" the summoner smirked. "I wanna do that again, this time with my eyes open!"

They turned back towards the far end of the lowroad, when Gian paused. "Tara, hold up." He dismounted Diablo and began to walk towards a gleaming object he saw towards the rock base.

"What is it?" the summoner asked. She saw Gian examining a shiny gold object.

"It's a medallion of some sort. It has an odd inscription on it. It appears to be a star pattern, or constellation. It reads 'Centaurus' at the bottom. It also has a middle section that's carved out, sort of like another piece is supposed to fit inside."

"Interesting!" She remarked. "What could it be for?"

"I don't know. But I have a hunch that it might be important, so I'm gonna keep it." The guardian placed the medallion around his neck, admiring it from different angles.

"Well, aren't you special?" she smirked.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll find another one? It will be interesting to learn what they're for."

The pair made their way back up to the travel agency where they saw a horrified Alyssa. "Lady Tara! Help us, please!"

"What's wrong, Alyssa" the summoner asked, concerned.

"The chocobos!" Alyssa wailed. "They're in trouble!"

Gian saw a large beast with a chocobo struggling to get out of the creature's huge fist. He dismounted Diablo quickly, and drew his sword. "Tara, let's go!"

Tara had already dismounted Coco. She readied her staff, and the pair proceeded to the stables to confront the giant beast.

"What is that?" the summoner asked, bewildered at the sight of the huge beast.

"It's called a Chocobo Eater!" Alyssa cried. "Why would it want to hurt the chocobos?"

"That's not an indigenous creature, that's a fiend." the guardian stated. "Time to take care of business!"

The gigantic fiend growled, tossed its chocobo aside, and swung a large fist down on top of Tara who had rolled to the side to avoid being crushed by the blow. The guardian slashed at the beast's arm, enraging it. The fiend swung his large arm and backhanded the guardian, knocking him up against the travel agency building. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Gian!" Tara screamed. She turned to the Chocobo Eater, raised her staff, and began the summoning ritual - calling for Ifrit. The ground shook and the fearsome aeon appeared. Ifrit charged at the beast with a flying tackle which momentarily stunned it. While Ifrit was readying a large fireball, the beast swung its fist at the aeon. Ifrit absorbed the blow, and slumped to one knee. "No..." the summoner said to herself, stunned. She turned to the beast with raw fury in her eyes, raised her staff, and cast a fire spell more powerful than anything she had ever cast before. "Firaga!" the summoner screamed. Waves and waves of pure molten fire enveloped the beast as it howled in pain, staggering backwards, moving closer and closer to the edge of the highroad.

Ifrit turned to his side as he felt a strange pair of hands upon him. "Curaga," the guardian weakly spoke. A large green wave washed over both guardian and aeon, and a few moments later, both were back in the fight. Ifrit gazed curiously at his benefactor, then turned his attention back to the gruesome beast. Ifrit flew at the beast and hit it with a tackle, knocking it back further.

"Ifrit!" shouted the guardian. "Fire!" He waved the aeon towards himself. The aeon seemed confused for a moment, then he readied a huge fireball and hurled it right towards the guardian. Gian raised his sword and deflected the fireball, with blinding speed, directly into the face of the Chocobo Eater. The beast roared and howled in pain, edging even closer to the end of the highroad. Guardian and aeon locked eyes, somehow seeming to be in communication with one another. "Now!" the guardian shouted. Their combined tackle forced the Chocobo Eater over the edge of the highroad. The beast fell down into the expanse, and disintegrated into pyreflies upon contact with the ground.

Tara ran to her guardian, worried. "Gian, are you okay?"

Gian smiled at his summoner. "I'm fine. Nice fire spell, by the way!"

"Yeah," giggled the summoner, "I kinda lost my temper there a bit. I'm so glad you're okay!"

Guardian and summoner hugged each other tightly, then they walked up to Ifrit. The guardian patted the aeon on its shoulder. "Thanks, friend."

The aeon rumbled his approval as Tara patted him as well. "I dismiss you, Ifrit. Thank you again." The aeon disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Tara looked at her guardian curiously. "Gian, it seemed like you were actually communicating with Ifrit. How is that even possible?"

Gian shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not even sure, really. He just…I don't know... he seemed to know what I wanted from him. I was in physical contact with him when I cured us both. Perhaps he was able to sense my thoughts or emotions? That's the best I can think of."

They both hugged each other again, relieved that another battle was over with. "Well, whatever it was, I'm glad it worked!"

"You saved the chocobos!" gushed Alyssa. "Thank you so, so much! I won't forget this! Ever!"

"Indeed!" Rin exclaimed. "We owe you a great debt for finally getting rid of the Chocobo Eater. The chocobos will be safe now, thanks to the two of you. As a token of my gratitude, any time you wish, you may come to the Highroad and ride the chocobos at no charge."

Tara hugged the merchant. "Thank you, Rin! That's very generous of you! We'll definitely be back!"

Gian shook hands with him as well. "Rin, thanks for everything. We should be heading out. We've had a ton of fun here, but the journey calls."

"Farewell until next time, my friends!" Rin waved as the pair made their way down to the end of the Highroad.

"See you next time, Rin!" Gian turned and shot his summoner a wink. "Told you, you'd love the chocobos!"

"Yeah," Tara giggled. "That was a good call!"

The summoner returned her hand to its usual position - inside that of her guardian, as they made their way towards Mushroom Rock Road.


End file.
